


The Queen Herself Does It

by ainagren



Category: Poldark (TV 2015)
Genre: Christmas, Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-02-01 18:05:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12710148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ainagren/pseuds/ainagren
Summary: Caroline and Dwight celebrate Christmas at Nampara, and are telling their friends about a new trend in Christmas decorations. Written for the Tumblr prompt week theme "Family".





	The Queen Herself Does It

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Arlome](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arlome/gifts).



Family

 

The soft, warm light from the hearth and the flickering candles is reflected in their faces, as they smile, laugh, and pass the plates around. The clicking of cutlery, the delicious smells of hot food, ginger bread and spicy wine, the exchange of happy glances. Ross is clapping Dwight on the back as Demelza begins to clear the table.

“I am so glad that you and Caroline came to join us tonight”, he says. “There is no place like Nampara on Christmas, you must agree, even though you now reside over a much greater estate.”

Dwight smiles and nods.

“I do agree”, he says. 

He takes a look around the room. Demelza is running to and fro with dishes, helped by Prudie, and Dwight notices that Caroline doesn’t offer to help. But, of course Caroline does not have any reason to. She has never been schooled to be a house wife, but to be a lady, and her skills are not of the practical kind. Being practical is his own part of their union; he knows it, and he accepts it, even if he thinks that, in moments like this, in the warmth of a close friendship, it would have been nice to see his wife blend in more naturally.

Caroline has risen and moved around the table, and now she is approaching Jeremy, who is sitting by the cot where baby Clowance is sleeping. Caroline is hiding her hands behind her back and has a mischievous smile on her face. 

“Hello there, little friend”, Caroline says as she comes closer to Jeremy. “Guess what? I have brought a surprise for you!”

Jeremy looks up at her, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“What is it?” he asks.

Caroline giggles.

“It’s behind my back”, Caroline says, looking just as joyful as the child, and Dwight suddenly gets a premonition of what their future child might look like one day. “I will bring it out for you if you pat the right shoulder”, Caroline continues, and crouches down so the little boy can reach her. 

Quickly, he pats her shoulder, and Caroline brings forward an empty hand. The boy is looking disappointed, but Caroline’s eyes are full of mirth, her lips separated in expectation.

“Try again”, she says, and he swiftly touches her other shoulder.

Now, she holds her other hand out, and in it lies a large, perfectly round orange, shining like the sun. Jeremy’s eyes grow large.

“Is it for me?” he asks.

She smiles and caresses his hair.

“Yes, it is only for you. I will help you peel it, if you like, and you can eat all of it yourself.”

Jeremy rapidly takes the treasure, and scurries into the kitchen, where they can hear him squeal in happiness. Caroline looks over to Dwight, who smiles lovingly back at her. 

From the kitchen comes a mesmerizing aroma, and soon, Demelza is reentering the room with a large Christmas pudding on a tray. Trotting behind her comes Jeremy, holding his mother’s skirt with one hand and clasping his precious orange in the other.

Demelza smiles at Caroline as she puts the tray on the table.

“Caroline, thank you” she says. “There was really no need for that, but thank you. You are too kind and generous.”

“Good heavens”, Caroline says, as she is walking back to the table, and seating herself beside her husband. “It is Christmas, isn’t it?” She gives Dwight a meaning look, and adds, “And we do have a certain flair for oranges.”

Dwight chuckles, and gives her hand a quick squeeze. 

“And by the way”, she adds as she is adjusting her skirt properly, “I heard you, before.”

Dwight looks at her, his face a question. “What?” he says.

“I heard you agreeing with Ross that Nampara is the best place to be at Christmas.” She is lifting her eyebrow in a jokingly strict way.

Clean plates have been put out, Ross is serving hot, spiced wine to his guests, and now he laughs heartily at Caroline’s remark.

“Well, Dwight”, he says, “she heard you! What do you have to say in your defense?”

Dwight narrows his eyes and takes a close look at Caroline, love and mischief playing in his eyes, as well as in hers.

“Nothing at all”, he claims triumphantly. “For it is true. Killewarren has turned so awfully strange to me these past few days, since my beloved wife is determined to transform it into a forest.”

Caroline bursts out into a glittering laughter, filling Dwight's chest with bubbles of delight. Demelza looks at them and smiles widely.

“Do tell us”, she begs. 

Dwight shakes his head, chuckling so hard that he finds it hard to talk. With an indulging look at his dinner partner, he explains:

“My lovely wife, who is the most fantastic woman under the sun, has brought a tree into the house. A real, large, living tree! Into the house!”

They are now all laughing so hard that little Jeremy is starting to look anxious, and Demelza takes him up into her lap. She kisses his head and whispers to his ear: “Nothing to worry about, my darling, we are only jesting.”

Caroline is laughing as much as the others, but a certain blush has appeared on her cheeks.

Ross clears his throat and swallows, in order to take control over his voice.

“Pray tell me, Mrs. Enys”, he says, smiling widely and looking at Caroline with great amusement, “what kind of tree is it?”

Before she has the time to answer, Dwight blurts out: “It’s a fir tree!”

And they all break out in laughter again, Ross banging the table with the flat of his hand, roaring. Demelza is shaking her head, all astonishment.

“Oh, Caroline”, she says compassionately, “why on Earth would you do such a thing?”

Caroline is still suffering from a deep redness, and she is looking at the table. Dwight sees it, and takes her hand again, giving her a look full of admiration and jesting.

“My beloved wife went to London a while ago, accompanying me when I was on a doctors’ conference, and somehow she found out that the Queen herself does it. She takes a tree into the palace for Christmas! Do not ask me why, because it is beyond reason, and hence beyond the reach of science.”

They all laugh again, but Caroline is straightening her back and curling her neck slightly in defense.

“She does indeed”, she says in as haughty a tone of voice as she can manage, and lifts her chin a little. “A Christmas tree, she calls it. And some of the families of our London acquaintance have started to do it, too. And I thought that it could actually be a rather peculiar and interesting way of decorating the great hall for Christmas. We decorate the tree with candles, and it is actually quite pretty.”

Here she stops, because quaint noises are coming from Ross’ throat, and now he throws himself over the table, dying of laughter. He is joined by Dwight, who is trying his best not to upset his wife, but finally has to give into nature and let the glee out.

Demelza smiles, but Caroline seems to find the situation less amusing. She holds her hand out to Jeremy.

“Here, Jeremy”, she offers, “give me your orange and I will peel it for you. It will be yummy.”

The boy reluctantly hands his treasure over, and Caroline sinks her nails into the thick peel. Dwight notices the slight shift in her mood, and tries his best to check his elation. Ross, on the other hand, still snorting of laughter, seems to find no reason to restrain his gaiety.

“Tell me, please”, he continues, “what is the meaning of this tree? What do you do with it? Do you put it in the fire as a huge log? Or do you … do you … dance around it like fairies in the meadows?” He chuckles again at his own joke.

Demelza puts a hand on his arm, trying to make him calm down. Caroline is concentrating on the slow and careful peeling of the orange, and the delightful fragrance that is spreading from it in the room.

“Shall we begin with the pudding?” Demelza suggests, but Ross still has not finished with the tree.

“Tell me more, please”, he demands, his voice bursting, “do you have to walk around it every time you walk through the hall, or do you climb it to get past? Was it delivered complete with squirrels and moths?”

He dries his eyes with his sleeve, wheezing. Dwight puts his arm around Caroline’s waist.

“You will have to come and see it yourself, Ross”, he says calmly. “It is actually not as bad as it sounds. I have come to quite enjoy it.”

Caroline gives him a thankful look. 

“Please, Jeremy”, she says, and hands him the golden fruit. 

The child’s eyes glow with appetite as he takes the orange cloves and starts to munch. 

“I will take you up on that”, Ross says warmly. 

Demelza rises from her place.

“Before we have the pudding, I think it is time for a Christmas song”, she says. 

“Yes, please”, Dwight says, “do give us a song, Demelza.”

She clears her throat, then begins in her bright, delightful tone: 

God rest ye merry gentlemen   
Let nothing you dismay   
Remember Christ our Savior   
Was born on Christmas Day  
To save us all from Satan’s pow’r  
When we were gone astray  
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy

Jeremy moves over to his father and crawls into his lap, his lips still shining of the juicy fruit. Caroline leans towards Dwight, and he holds her a little tighter.

“Would you love me more if I could sing like her?” Caroline whispers into his ear. 

He smiles and shakes his head at her.

“Nothing in the world could make me love you more, because I already love you with all the love that exists”, he whispers back.

“Despite my peculiar fancy for Christmas trees?” she asks with a wry smile.

He kisses her ear and whispers back: 

“No, because of it. Everything you do makes me love you even more.”

“But you just said–“, she begins, and he silences her.

“I know what I said. But love goes beyond reason, too. Please, don’t hold that against me.”

She inhales deeply.

“Should we tell them tonight?” she asks, and feels his hand tightening around her waist.

“No, let’s wait. Let it be our own secret just a little while longer.”

Demelza has finished singing, and now she lifts up Jeremy, who has fallen asleep in in his father’s arms during her song.

“I will take him upstairs”, she says. “Please, do start with the pudding. I will rejoin you presently.”


End file.
